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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
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https://archive.org/details/pocketkodakportrOOeick 


POCKET  KODAK 
PORTRAITURE. 


WITH  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY 
RUDOLF  EICKEMEYER,  JR. 


Copyright , zqoo,  by  the  Eastman  Kodak  Co. 


THE  KODAK  PRESS 
ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 


Folding  Pocket  Kodak 
and  Portrait  Attachment, 


HE  chief  end  of  photog- 
raphy, from  the  amateur’s 
standpoint,  is  home  por- 
traiture. He  may  revel  in 
the  delights  of  out-door 
work ; may  record  with 
enthusiasm  the  events  of 
the  summer  vacation  and 
snap-shot  every  point  of 
interest  on  his  travels,  but 
to  make  portraits — por- 
traits which  will  be  like- 
nesses, which  will  be 
artistic  and  natural — such 
is  his  cherished,  though 
ofttimes  secret,  ambition. 
And  portraiture  touches 
the  human  side  of  photog- 
raphy ; it  has  life.  By  it 
are  preserved  the  child 
faces  and  the  child  habits 
which  the  years  so  quickly 
efface.  Who  that  loves 
children  or  cherishes  the  affection  of  a 
friend  can  resist  this  most  interesting  phase 
of  the  art  photographic  ? 

The  delightful  child  pictures  which  Mr. 
Eickemeyer  contributes  to  this  little  book 
should  prove  an  inspiration  to  every 
Kodaker.  A careful  study  of  the  pictures 
alone  will  almost  reveal  their  maker’s 
methods.  Their  simplicity  and  naturalness 


it 

has 

Life 


A 

Careful 

Study 


show  that  he  has  done 
but  little  “posing,” 
depending  rather  upon 
inborn  grace  of  the 
little  ones  ; that  he  has 
awaited  the  opportune 
moment  for  making 
the  exposure  and  with 
patience  and  tact  has 
made  his  subjects 
unconscious,  or  at  least 
forgetful,  of  the  fact 
that  they  were  being 
photographed. 

All  of  the  pictures 
were  made  with  a 
Folding  Pocket 
Kodak,  some  with 
and  some  without 
the  portrait  attach- 
ment, the  very  sim- 
plicity of  the  instru- 
ment making  it  espe- 
cially available  for 
work  which  must  be 
done  quickly,  and  free- 
ing it  from  details 
which  exhaust  the 
patience  of  both  sitter 
and  operator.  Com- 
menting upon  the 
Pocket  Kodak  in  con- 
nection with  the  pic- 
tures which  he  made 
for  us,  Mr.  Eickemeyer 
says : 


“The  Kodak  lies  on  the  library  table 
with  the  dictionary,  and  I hope  it  will  prove 
as  useful  as  the  latter.  In  much  the  same 
way  as  one  refers  frequently  to  the  diction- 
ary, one  can  now  turn  to  the  Pocket  Kodak 
whenever  something  occurs  in  one’s  field 
of  vision  that  is  considered  worthy  of  a 
pictorial  record. 

“Realizing  that  practical  examples  are 
better  than  mere  theorizing,  and  with  a view 
to  suggesting  the  line  which  may  be  taken 
by  the  worker,  I have  made  a number  of 
pictures  which  clearly  show  what  work  can 
be  done  with  this  new  camera.  The 
majority  are  pictures  devoid  of  studio  char- 
acteristics ; that  is  to  say,  they  do  not 
depend  for  effect  upon  special  lighting, 
painted  backgrounds  or  other  studio  acces- 
sories, and  their  good  points  will  be  quite 
within  the  reach  of  the  ambitious  amateur. 

‘ ‘ / especially  made  it  my  purpose  to 
avoid  any  attempt  at  composition,  but  left 
everything  in  the  rooms  as  they  happened 
to  be  at  the  moment .” 

The  simple  beauty  of  Mr.  Eickemeyer’s 
work  is  perhaps  beyond  what  the  beginner 
can  expect  to  grasp  at  first  hand,  but  it 
depicts  the  potentialities  of  the  Kodak  and 
becomes  a help  and  a guide  to  the  novice. 
It  is  the  personal  side  of  the  picture  that 
gives  it  the  true  value  in  the  eyes  of  the 
maker  and  his  friends,  and  it  is  to  so  guide 


Not 

Mere 

Theorizing 


A 

Help 
and  a 
Guide 


the  beginner 
that  he  can 
successfully 
engage  i n 
this  phase  of 
photography 
that  these 
few  pages  are 
written. 

Before  un- 
dertaking to 
photograph 
children  per- 
haps ’twere 
better  for  the 
Kodaker  to 
make  a few 
trials  with 
“grown 
folks”  in 
order  to  be- 
come accus- 
tomed to  the 
lighting  and 
note  the 
e ff  e c t s of 
shadows 
upon  the 
face. 

The  Fold- 
ing Pocket  Kodaks  lend  themselves  with 
unusual  facility  to  home  portraiture  by 


Folding  Pocket  Kodak 
and  Portrait  Attachment. 


reason  of 
their  simpli- 
city, which 
enables  the 
operator  to 
give  nearly 
his  entire 
attention  to 
the  subject 
and  to  the 
lighting,  and 
by  reason  of 
the  non-hala- 
tion qualities 
of  our  film 
( caused  by 
its  contact 
with  the  dull 
faced  black 
paper  which 
runs  behind 
it),  which 
materia  1 1 y 
reduce  the 
too  violent 
contrasts 
causedbythe 
uneven  light- 
ing of  ordi- 
nary house 
interiors. 

No  tripod  is  necessary,  any  firm  support 


Folding  Pocket  Kodak 
without  Attachment. 


will  answer,  and  the 
time  exposures  are 
made  by  simply  touch- 
ing one  button  to  open 
and  another  to  close 
the  shutter.  In  order 
to  catch  the  natural 
expression  of  the  sitter 
the  exposures  should 
be  as  short  as  will  give 
a properly  timed  nega- 
tive and  the  largest 
stop  should  therefore 
be  used,  but  it  should 
be  borne  in  mind  that 
under-exposure  makes 
harsh  negatives.  To 
use  an  old  photo- 
graphic expression  : 
“Expose  for  the 
shadows ; the  high- 
lights will  take  care  of  themselves.” 

The  lenses  used  in  the  fixed  focus  Folding 
Pocket  Kodaks  are  of  such  quality  that 
Grelt  a<^m^  a larger  stop  opening  than 
Speed  that  used  in  ordinary  fixed  focus  cameras, 
Helps  and  they  are,  therefore,  unusually  rapid,  an 
important  feature  in  interior  portraiture. 
The  No.  3 Folding  Pocket  Kodaks  are 
focusing  cameras  with  rapid  rectilinear 
lenses. 

In  the  use  of  the  portrait  attachment  no 


Folding  Pocket  Kodak 
and  Portrait  Attachment. 


Folding  Pocket  Kodak 
and  Portrait  Attachment. 


change  whatever  is 
made  in  the  operation 
of  the  Kodak.  The 
attachment,  which  can 
be  carried  in  the  vest 
pocket,  is  to  be  slipped 
on  over  the  lens  and 
the  Kodak  manipu- 
lated in  the  usual 
manner  except  that 
putting  the  attachment 
in  place  is  equivalent 
to  setting  the  focus  at 
three  and  one-half  feet, 
at  which  distance  the 
Kodaks  will  then  cut 
a clear,  sharp  picture. 
The  use  of  the  attach- 
ment, of  course,  throws 
them  out  of  focus  at 
other  distances.  In 
using  the  attachment 
on  the  No.  3 Folding 
Pocket  Kodak  the 
focus  should  be  set  at 
15  feet. 

In  portraiture  the 
first  consideration  is 
the  light.  A top  light 
is  usually  preferable, 
and  if  a north  light  can 
be  used,  so  much  the 
better.  Raise  the  win- 
dow shades  to  the  full 
limit  and  pin  a cloth 
across  the  lower  half  of 


In 

the 

Vest 

Pocket 


About 

the 

Light 


the  window.  Have  all  of  the  light  come 
from  one  source.  If  there  is  a “cross 
light”  it  will  cut  up  the  shadows,  causing 
a disagreeable  and  inharmonious  effect. 

Figure  i 
indicates  the 
relative  posi- 
tions of  the 
sitter,  the 
camera  and 
the  light. 
Perhaps  the 
simplest  and 
best  pose  to 
begin  with  is 
obtained  by 
seating  the 
subject  at 
“A,”  facing 
the  Kodak, 
“C,”  and 
then  turning 
the  face  slightly  away  from  the  light.  Care 
should  be  taken  with  the  eyes.  They 
a should  not  be  turned  decidedly  to  either 
1 Pose  side,  but  should  look  in  nearly  the  direction 
that  the  face  is  pointing,  otherwise  some 
very  ridiculous  effects  may  result. 

If  the  shadow  on  the  side  of  the  face 
away  from  the  light  is  very  heavy,  a 
reflector  should  be  placed  at  point  “D.” 
A sheet  suspended  from  the  picture  mould- 


FIG.  I. 


A.  Sitter.  C.  Kodak. 

B.  B.  Window.  D.  Reflection. 


Folding  Pocket  Kodak 
and  Portrait  Attachment 


ing,  or  even  thrown  over  a chair,  will 
Softening  usually  answer  the  purpose  very  well,  and 
Shadows  a little  practice  will  show  how  the  depth  and 
location  of  the  shadows  can  be  manipulated 
at  the  operator’s  will  by  moving  the 
reflector. 

Figure  2 
shows  how 
to  obtain  the 
beautiful  ef- 
fects of  a 
Rembrandt 
B lighting — 
thisbeing  the 
term  applied 
to  pictures 
taken  from 
the  shadow 
side  of  face, 
a favorite 
method  with 
the  great 
painter  whose  name  has  been  given  to  this 
style  of  lighting — a style  of  which  he  was 
a perfect  master.  To  obtain  this  effect  we 
Rembrandt  place  the  subject  at  point  “A”  facing 
Lighting  point  “ D”  and  set  up  the  Kodak  at  point 
“C.”  The  proportions  of  light  and  shade 
can  be  changed  by  simply  turning  the 
sitter’s  head  toward  or  away  from  the 
light.  A very  slight  change  in  position 
makes  a wonderful  change  in  the  lighting, 


FIG.  II. 

A sitter,  B B window,  C kodak,  D 
point  toward  which  face  is  to  be 
turned. 


Folding 
Pocket  Kodak . 


Simple 

Back- 

grounds 


Out- 

door 

Portraiture 


and  the  face  of  the  subject  should  be 
studied  carefully  to  obtain  the  best  effect. 

Backgrounds  should  be  appropriate  and 
simple.  Often  a dark  portiere  produces  a 
most  pleasing  effect,  or  walls  having  a 
plain  ingrain  paper  will  sometimes  answer 
perfectly.  Heavily  figured  wail  papers 
should,  as  a rule,  be  avoided,  however,  as 
the  figures  are  likely  to  draw  the  eye  away 
from  the  subject,  thus  destroying  all  har- 
mony in  the  composition. 

But  “ home  portraiture  ” does  not  neces- 
sarily mean  the  taking  of  pictures  inside  the 
four  walls  of  a room.  The  shady  side  of 
the  house  or  the  subdued  light  of  a wide 
veranda  frequently  offer  exceptional  oppor- 
tunities for  portraiture,  and  the  Kodak  Por- 
trait Attachment  can  be  used  as  well  out  of 
doors  as  in-doors,  but  two  points  must  be 
borne  in  mind.  Do  not,  pray  do  not  take 
the  subject  into  bright  sunlight,  and  do  not 
use  the  clapboarded  side  of  a house  for  a 
background.  A trellis  of  vines  growing  up 
over  the  veranda,  or  an  open  doorway, 
makes  a most  excellent  background  in 
photographing  grown  people,  while  a clump 
of  bushes  is  often  equally  desirable  as  a 
background  for  a portrait  of  young  children 
at  play. 

Having  before  us  some  of  Mr.  Eickemey- 
er’s  charming  work  with  the  Kodak,  what 
he  has  to  say  of  his  methods  is  particularly 
interesting: 


Folding  Pocket  Kodak 
without  Attachment. 


Hints 
from  Mr. 
Eickemeyer 


Uncon- 

scious 

Subjects 


“Among  my  old  Colonial  possessions  is 
an  oak  chair  with  a little  table-like  rest  on 
the  right  arm,  such  as  are  still  found  in  New 
England  homesteads  but  which  have 
become  quite  rare  and  with  which  their 
owners  are  loath  to  part.  This  chair  is 
just  the  right  one  for  interior  photography, 
for,  when  seated,  with  the  Kodak  resting 
on  the  little  table  on  its  arm  I can  look 
into  the  finder  and  make  pictures  in  the 
easiest  manner  imaginable. 

‘ ‘ One  morning,  resting  in  my  den,  perus- 
ing the  papers,  with  the  camera  within 
reach,  my  little  nephew  and  my  two  little 
nieces  came  in  to  spend  a few  hours  with 
us.  The  boy  soon  tired  and  went  out  of 
doors,  and  only  came  in  from  time  to  time 
to  see  if  luncheon  was  ready,  and  for  that 
reason  only  figured  once  in  my  pictures, 
and  I must  say  I was  really  glad  of  this  as 
he  might  have  interfered  with  the  work  I 
had  planned.  The  little  girls  stayed  and 
played  about  the  room  as  unconcernedly 
as  if  nobody  was  there.  They  thought  I 
was  reading,  while  in  reality  I was  watching 
them  attentively  through  the  Kodak  finder, 
waiting  for  the  moment  when  the  whole 
picture  harmonized.  Thus  I was  able  to 
obtain  several  pictures  of  my  unconscious 
subjects. 

“ When  luncheon  time  came,  one  of  my 
little  guests  sat  down  at  once  at  the  table. 


Folding  Pocket  Kodak 
without  Attachment. 


and  telling  her  to  sit  quietly  I photographed 
A her  by  resting  the  Kodak  on  a large  book 
Book  in  front  of  her.  The  picture  with  its  dark, 
Tripod  distant  background  gives  the  figure  envel- 
ope, and  in  this  respect  it  is  an  example  of 
its  kind. 

“ After  luncheon  we  shifted  the  scene  of 
action  upstairs  where  I composed  several 
pictures  with  the  two  little  girls  at  the  win- 
dow. A potted  chrysanthemum  is  the 
object  of  interest,  with  an  old  Colonial  high 
boy  for  a background. 

“In  the  meantime  my  wife,  equally  fond 
of  Colonial  objects  as  myself,  had  donned, 
at  my  suggestion,  a Rococo  gown  and  now 
Difficult  came  in  for  her  share  in  my  experiments 
situation  with  the  new  camera.  I took  her  in  two 
different  attitudes.  In  one  standing  before 
a chiffonier  with  a distant  window  in  the 
line  of  the  camera,  and  in  the  other  seated 
at  her  writing  desk  with  a window  reflected 
in  the  mirror  fronting  the  camera.  Both 
were  difficult  photographic  situations. 

“ Another  attractive  picture  is  of  the  lit- 
tle girl  opening  the  door  of  an  old  Colonial 
cupboard.  The  little,  mischievous  face  is 
marvelously  clear  and  plastic,  and  full  of 
character.  It  is  also  noteworthy  in  its 
range  of  local  values,  from  purest  white  to 
opaque  black. 

“ Growing  still  more  ambitious  I did  not 
wish  to  end  my  work  before  I had  tested 


the  camera  making  bust  portraits,  pure  and 
simple. 

‘ ‘ Every  amateur  has,  no  doubt,  experi- 
enced the  difficulty  of  managing  in  close 
surroundings  the  shadow  side  of  the  face, 
the  daylight  being  too  concentrated  and 
rarely  diffused  enough,  but  by  using  a piece 
of  white  cardboard  as  a reflector  the  shad- 
ows can  be  materially  lightened.  But  only 
in  extreme  cases  of  light  and  shade  will  a 
reflector  be  found  necessary. 

“Formerly  those  photographers  were 
considered  fortunate  whose  apparatus  was 
unlimited  in  quantity,  or  of  the  most  expen- 
sive quality,  but  now  the  amateur  whose 
outfit  alone  consists  of  a Folding  Pocket 
Kodak  and  a Portrait  Attachment,  is 
afforded  an  opportunity  to  make  good  por- 
traits with  an  instrument  of  most  complete 
pattern.  ’ ’ 

With  Mr.  Eickemeyer’s  work,  and  his 
explanation  of  his  methods  as  a guide  and 
inspiration,  we  believe  that  this  modest  lit- 
tle work  will  prove  of  value  to  every  ama- 
teur into  whose  hands  it  may  fall.  Each 
step  that  one  advances  in  photographic 
work  so  increases  its  charm,  opens  up  such 
new  and  delightful  fields  to  the  amateur 
that  to  stop  at  the  mere  taking  of  out-door 
snap-shots  is  the  throwing  away  of  untold 
pleasures.  A dozen  years  ago  there  were 
indeed  few  who  could  afford  the  time  or 


Unlimited 

Apparatus 

not 

Necessary 


An 

Increasing 

Charm 


Other 

Kodaks 


money  to  go  extensively  into  photography 
but  the  Kodak  has  changed  the  conditions. 
Cost  of  apparatus  and  detail  of  operations 
have  been  reduced  to  a minimum  and  now 
he  who  will,  may  Kodak. 

What  Mr.  Eickemeyer  has  accomplished 
with  the  Folding  Pocket  Kodak  can,  of 
course,  be  done  as  readily  with  the  box 
styles  of  Kodaks  which  are  their  equals  in 
everything  except  compactness,  while  the 
Cartridge  Kodaks,  with  their  noiseless  pneu- 
matic shutters  and  rapid  lenses,  are  partic- 
ularly adapted  to  portraiture. 

Kodak  Cartridges  are  now  made  for  two 
and  six,  as  well  as  for  twelve  exposures, 
enabling  one  to  load  economically  and  in 
broad  daylight  for  a few  exposures  at  home. 

The  delights  of  home  portraiture  are  thus 
within  the  grasp  of  every  Kodaker. 


All  of  the  foregoing  illustra- 
tions were  made  with  a Folding 
Pocket  Kodak  on  Eastman's 
Transparent  Film.  In  the  six 
head  and  shoulder  pictures  the 
Portrait  Attachment  was  used. 

RUDOLF  EICKEMEYER,  JR. 


Yonkers,  JST.  Y.,  Dec.,  iqoo. 


KODAK  PORTRAIT  ATTACHMENTS. 

The  Kodak  Portrait  Attachments  are 
simply  extra  lenses  which  are  made  to  fit 
our  fixed  focus  instruments.  (And  the  No. 
3 Folding  Pocket  Kodak.)  They  are 
attached  by  simply  slipping  on  over  the 
lens  hood  or  inserting  in  the  opening  in 
front  board  of  Kodak  as  the  case  may  be. 
They  in  no  way  affect  the  operation  of  the 
Kodak  except  that  they  make  it  cut  sharp 
at  a distance  of  three  and  one-half  feet  and 
consequently,  of  course,  throw  more  distant 
objects  out  of  focus.  They  are  therefore 
to  be  used  for  bust  portrait  work  only. 

Kodak  Portrait  Attachments  are  made 
for  the  Folding  Pocket  Kodaks,  No.  i,  No. 
iA,  No.  2 and  No.  3,  and  for  the  No.  2 
Bulls-Eye,  No.  2 Bulls-Eye  Special,  No.  2 
Bullet,  No.  2 Bullet  Special  and  No.  2 
Flexo  Kodaks. 

Price  of  attachment  to  fit  either  of  above 
instruments,  fifty  cents.  Be  sure  and  give 
exact  designation  of  Kodak  when  ordering. 


A BIT  OF  DETAIL  ABOUT  FOLDING 
POCKET  KODAKS. 

In  the  preceding  pages  we  have  shown 
something  of  what  can  be  accomplished 
with  these  little  instruments  in  the  way  of 
home  portraiture.  Here,  a few  lines 
descriptive  of  the  cameras  themselves  may 
not  be  devoid  of  interest. 

The  Folding  Pocket  Kodaks  are  made  of 
aluminum,  are  covered  with  the  finest  seal 
grain  leather  and  have  nickeled  fittings, 
thereby  combining  strength  and  lightness 
with  elegance  of  finish.  They  embody  that 
perfection  which  can  only  be  secured  by  the 
use  of  the  best  machinery,  the  employment 
of  highly  skilled  mechanics  and  the  most 
rigid  inspection  and  testing.  Absolute 
accuracy  is  required  in  every  detail  of  their 
manufacture.  They  are  fitted  with  the 
Eastman  Automatic  shutter,  which  is 
always  set.  The  simple  touching  of  one 
lever  makes  a snap-shot.  Time  exposures 
are  made  by  touching  another  lever,  once 
to  open  and  again  to  close  the  shutter. 

Especial  attention  has  been  given  to 
the  lenses,  every  one  of  which  is  tested 
individually  with  the  utmost  care.  Those 
used  on  the  No.  i,  No.  i A and  No.  2 have 
a fixed  focus  and  are  meniscus  achro- 
matic. The  No.  3 Folding  Pocket  Kodaks 
have  Rapid  Rectilinear  lenses  and  are  fitted 
with  focusing  scales. 


Folding  Pocket  Kodaks  of  all  sizes  have 
brilliant  view  finders  and  sets  of  three  stops 
and  in  common  with  all  Kodaks  use  our 
light-proof  film  cartridges  with  which  they 
can  be  Loaded  in  Daylight. 

THE  PRICE. 

No.  1 Folding  Pocket  Kodak,  for  234  x 334 

pictures, $10.00 

Transparent  Film  Cartridge,  12  exposures, 

234x334, 40 

Do.,  6 exposures, 20 

Folding  Pocket  Kodak,  No.  1 A,  for  2%  x 434 

pictures, 12.00 

Transparent  Film  Cartridge,  12  exposures, 

2^  x 434, 50 

Do.,  6 exposures, 25 

No.  2 Folding  Pocket  Kodak,  for  334  x 334 

pictures 15.00 

Transparent  Film  Cartridge,  12  exposures, 

334x334, 60 

Do.,  6 exposures, 30 

Do.,  Double-Two  Cartridge  (4  exposures),  .20 

No.  3 Folding  Pocket  Kodak,  for  3 34  x 434 

pictures, 17.50 

Transparent  Film  Cartridge,  12  exposures, 

334x434, 70 

Do.,  6 exposures, 35 

Do.,  Double-Two  Cartridge  (4  exposures),  .25 

Kodak  Portrait  Attachment  for  either  of 
above  (be  sure  and  specify  instrument 
to  be  used  with  when  ordering),  . . .50 

EASTMAN  KODAK  CO., 
Rochester,  N.  Y. 

KODAK,  Limited, 

London,  Paris,  Berlin, 

Liverpool,  Brussels,  St.  Petersburg, 

Glasgow,  Vienna,  Moscow,  Melbourne. 


KODAKS,  FROM  $5.00  TO  $35.00, 
ARE  FULLY  DESCRIBED  IN  OUR 
COMPLETE  KODAK  CATALOGUE, 
WHICH  MAY  BE  HAD  FREE  AT 
ANY  DEALER’S,  OR  BY  MAIL. 


EASTMAN  KODAK  CO. 


GETTY  RESEARCH  INSTITUTE 


3 3125  01140  1664 


“ If  it  isn’t  an  Eastman 

it  isn’t  a Kodak.” 


